On electronics forums it is a well known fact that one can bargain with Big Box stores such as Best Buy. Show them the price at Amazon and they will usually match it. You'll have to pay sales tax but that's the price of immediate satisfaction.
I didn't realize that some online companies would bargain but yesterday I had a pleasant experience. I've been looking for a new laptop with HDMI output among other things as it will help me immensely in my hobby of calibrating television sets to high definition standards. A friend of mine who is an excellent amateur photographer recently acquired a a laptop with a Blu-Ray burner and I was so impressed with the overall performance I thought "what the hell" and decided to get a computer with more high end attributes than I absolutely needed. I use www.dealzon.com to watch for bargains and have been waiting for the right unit to come along but so far it has been a no go. The retail prices I've seen have been downright gagging.
Yesterday while browsing www.dell.com I found a laptop that should keep me happy for a few years. It has an i7 processor, Blu-Ray burner, dual 500GB hard drives, 1080p 17" screen, and even 3D. The price listed was $400 less than retail and on top of that I had received a 10% off coupon via email for my birthday. When I added it all up, the net was still at the gag level but considerably less than anything else available that I could find so I decided to buy one.
In going through the online purchasing process I could not find a place to enter the coupon code so I entered the chat mode with customer service. After fifteen minutes of back and forth I was told that the coupon did not apply to laptops and was quoted a price beyond that which I was willing to pay. I thanked the man, told him that prices were going down every month, I was not in a hurry, and I would purchase at a later date. I closed the chat browser window and cut him off.
Less than five minutes later my cell phone rang and it was the same customer service representative telling me that the price was already reduced $400 yada yada yada. Interestingly enough, when I told him my mind was made up and I would buy only after prices were reduced he immediately offered me the computer for $100 less than the original net I was expecting. I thought it over for two seconds, told him yes, and we closed the deal.
The bottom line is that these companies, well, at least Dell, could be successfully negotiated with just a little bit of pressure. The economy is still bad no matter what the government is putting out, sales are slow, and deals can be made.
I didn't realize that some online companies would bargain but yesterday I had a pleasant experience. I've been looking for a new laptop with HDMI output among other things as it will help me immensely in my hobby of calibrating television sets to high definition standards. A friend of mine who is an excellent amateur photographer recently acquired a a laptop with a Blu-Ray burner and I was so impressed with the overall performance I thought "what the hell" and decided to get a computer with more high end attributes than I absolutely needed. I use www.dealzon.com to watch for bargains and have been waiting for the right unit to come along but so far it has been a no go. The retail prices I've seen have been downright gagging.
Yesterday while browsing www.dell.com I found a laptop that should keep me happy for a few years. It has an i7 processor, Blu-Ray burner, dual 500GB hard drives, 1080p 17" screen, and even 3D. The price listed was $400 less than retail and on top of that I had received a 10% off coupon via email for my birthday. When I added it all up, the net was still at the gag level but considerably less than anything else available that I could find so I decided to buy one.
In going through the online purchasing process I could not find a place to enter the coupon code so I entered the chat mode with customer service. After fifteen minutes of back and forth I was told that the coupon did not apply to laptops and was quoted a price beyond that which I was willing to pay. I thanked the man, told him that prices were going down every month, I was not in a hurry, and I would purchase at a later date. I closed the chat browser window and cut him off.
Less than five minutes later my cell phone rang and it was the same customer service representative telling me that the price was already reduced $400 yada yada yada. Interestingly enough, when I told him my mind was made up and I would buy only after prices were reduced he immediately offered me the computer for $100 less than the original net I was expecting. I thought it over for two seconds, told him yes, and we closed the deal.
The bottom line is that these companies, well, at least Dell, could be successfully negotiated with just a little bit of pressure. The economy is still bad no matter what the government is putting out, sales are slow, and deals can be made.